strain

noun

/streɪn/

Idioms

pressure压力

[uncountable, countable] pressure on a system or relationship because great demands are being placed on it压力；重负；重压之下出现的问题（或担忧等）

The transport service cannot cope with the strain of so many additional passengers.运输部门无法应对增加这么多乘客所带来的紧张局面。
under strain Their marriage is under great strain at the moment.眼下他们的婚姻关系非常紧张。
strain on something These repayments are putting a strain on our finances.偿还这些债务对我们的财务状况形成了压力。
There are strains in the relationship between the two countries.两国关系紧张。

Synonyms pressurepressure

stress
tension
strain

These are all words for the feelings of worry caused by the problems in somebody’s life.

pressure
difficulties and feelings of worry that are caused by the need to achieve something or to behave in a particular way:
- She was unable to attend because of the pressures of work.由于工作紧张，她不能出席。
stress
pressure or worry caused by the problems in somebody’s life:
- stress-related illnesses与精神压力有关的疾病

pressure or stress?用 pressure 还是 stress？It is common to say that somebody is suffering from stress, while pressure may be the thing that causes stress.

tension
a feeling of worry and stress that makes it impossible to relax:
- nervous tension神经紧张
strain
pressure on somebody/something because they have too much to do or manage; the problems or worry that this produces:
- I found it a strain looking after four children.我觉得照料四个孩子挺累的。

Patterns

to be under pressure/stress/strain
considerable pressure/stress/tension/strain
to cause stress/tension/strain
to cope with the pressure/stress/tension/strain
to relieve/release the pressure/stress/tension/strain
to be suffering from stress/tension

After three years, their marriage was beginning to show signs of strain.3 年后，他们的婚姻开始出现紧张迹象。
Increasing demand is placing undue strain on services.需求不断增加对服务造成过大的压力。

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

considerable
enormous
great
…

verb + strain

be under
come under
feel
…

strain + verb

show
take its toll (on somebody)
tell (on somebody)
…

preposition

under the strain
strain on

phrases

a bit of a strain
signs of strain
stresses and strains
…

[countable, uncountable] mental pressure or worry felt by somebody because they have too much to do or manage; something that causes this pressure焦虑；紧张

You will learn to cope with the stresses and strains of public life.你要学会应付公众人物生活的紧张和辛劳。
I found it a strain having to concentrate for so long.我觉得这么长时间全神贯注挺累的。
Relax, and let us take the strain (= do things for you).你歇一下，我们来顶一会儿。
under strain Television newsreaders come under enormous strain.电视新闻播报员处于极大的压力之下。

After weeks of overtime, she was starting to feel the strain.加班几个星期以后，她开始感觉到了疲劳。
After weeks of uncertainty, the strain was beginning to take its toll.几个星期的忐忑不安之后，压力开始让人受不了了。
He broke down under the strain of having to work twelve hours a day.他在一天工作 12 个小时的压力下崩溃了。
I found it a bit of a strain making conversation with her.和她谈话我感到有点儿紧张。
It's a real strain having to get up so early!这么早起床真够受的！
The internet takes the strain out of shopping.因特网减轻了购物的压力。
The mental strain of sharing an office with Alison was starting to show.与艾利森共用一间办公室带来的精神压力逐渐开始显现。
the stresses and strains of a long day漫长的一天的压力和紧张
I found it a strain looking after four children.我觉得照料四个孩子挺累的。

[uncountable, countable] the pressure that is put on something when a physical force stretches, pushes, or pulls it压力；拉力；张力；应力

under the strain The rope broke under the strain.绳子给拉断了。
strain on something You should try not to place too much strain on muscles and joints.你要尽量不让肌肉和关节太吃力。
The ground here cannot take the strain of a large building.这块地承受不住大型建筑的压力。
The cable has a 140kg breaking strain (= it will break when it is stretched or pulled by a force greater than this).这种缆索的断裂应变力为 140 千克。

There's too much strain on the corner of the table.桌角承受的压力太大了。
a fishing line with a 15lb breaking strain断裂应变为15 磅的钓线
The ice gave way under the strain.冰在压力作用下坍塌了。

Topics Physics and chemistryc1

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

considerable
enormous
great
…

verb + strain

be under
come under
feel
…

strain + verb

show
take its toll (on somebody)
tell (on somebody)
…

preposition

under the strain
strain on

phrases

a bit of a strain
signs of strain
stresses and strains
…

injury损伤

[countable, uncountable] an injury to a part of your body, such as a muscle, that is caused by using it too much or by twisting it劳损；拉伤；扭伤

a calf/groin/leg strain腿肚子／腹股沟／腿部拉伤
muscle strain肌肉劳损

Sterling will play if he can shake off a slight thigh strain.如果斯特林能摆脱轻微的大腿拉伤，他将参加比赛。
You'll get eye strain if you don't put the light on.不开灯，你的眼睛会疲劳。

Topics Illnessc1

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

bad
slight
back
…

verb + strain

be suffering from
have
get
…

type of plant/animal/disease动植物／疾病种类

[countable] a particular type of plant or animal, or of a disease caused by bacteria, etc.（动、植物的）系，品系，品种；（疾病的）类型

a new strain of mosquitoes resistant to the poison对这种毒药有抗药性的新品种蚊子
This is only one of the many strains of the disease.这种病有许多类型，这只是其中之一。
H5N1 is a strain of avian influenza.H5N1 是一种禽流感病毒。

Collocations Dictionaryadjective

new
mutant
virulent
…

verb + strain

discover
identify
analyse/analyze
…

preposition

strain of

in somebody’s character性格

[countable, usually singular] a particular feature of the character of a person or group, or a quality in their manner个性特点；性格倾向；禀性 synonym streak

He had a definite strain of snobbery in him.他这个人明显有一股势利小人的气味。

of music音乐

[countable, usually plural] (formal) the sound of music being played or sung乐曲；曲调；旋律

She could hear the strains of Mozart through the window.她听见从窗户飘出的莫扎特的旋律。
He heard the familiar strains of a tango coming from the club.他听到俱乐部传来熟悉的探戈舞曲。

Topics Musicc2

词源noun senses 1 to 3 and noun sense 6 Middle English (as a verb): from Old French estreindre, from Latin stringere ‘draw tight’. Current senses of the noun arose in the mid 16th cent. noun senses 4 to 5 Old English strīon ‘acquisition, gain’, of Germanic origin; related to Latin struere ‘to build up’.

Idioms

creak under the strain

if a system or service creaks under the strain, it cannot deal effectively with all the things it is expected to do or provide因负担过重而效率低下；由于压力过大而运转不灵

strain

verb

/streɪn/

动词形式

present simple I / you / we / they strain	/streɪn/ /streɪn/
he / she / it strains	/streɪnz/ /streɪnz/
past simple strained	/streɪnd/ /streɪnd/
past participle strained	/streɪnd/ /streɪnd/
-ing form straining	/ˈstreɪnɪŋ/ /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/

Idioms

injure损伤

[transitive] strain something/yourself to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard损伤；拉伤；扭伤

to strain a muscle拉伤肌肉
You’ll strain your back carrying those heavy suitcases.你提着那些沉重的箱子会扭伤后背的。

Synonyms injureinjure

wound
hurt
bruise
sprain
pull
strain

These words all mean to harm yourself or somebody else physically, especially in an accident.

injure
to harm yourself or somebody else physically, especially in an accident:
- He injured his knee playing hockey.他打曲棍球时膝盖受了伤。
- Three people were injured in the crash.撞车事故中有三人受伤。
wound
[often passive] (rather formal) to injure part of the body, especially by making a hole in the skin using a weapon:
- 50 people were seriously wounded in the attack.这次攻击中有 50 人受重伤。
Wound is often used to talk about people being hurt in war or in other attacks that affect a lot of people.
hurt
to cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself:
- Did you hurt yourself?你伤着自己了吗？

injure or hurt?用 injure 还是 hurt？You can hurt or injure a part of the body in an accident. Hurt emphasizes the physical pain caused; injure emphasizes that the part of the body has been damaged in some way.

bruise to make a blue, brown or purple mark (= a bruise) appear on the skin after somebody has fallen or been hit; to develop a bruise
sprain to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist or knee, by suddenly twisting it, causing pain and swelling
pull to damage a muscle, etc, by using too much force指拉伤、扭伤（肌肉等）
strain
to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard:
- Don’t strain your eyes by reading in poor light.别在光线不足的地方看书把眼睛给伤了。

Patterns

to injure/hurt/strain yourself
to injure/hurt/sprain/pull/strain a muscle
to injure/hurt/sprain your ankle/foot/knee/wrist/hand
to injure/hurt/strain your back/shoulder/eyes
to injure/hurt your spine/neck
to be badly/severely/slightly injured/wounded/hurt/bruised/sprained

Collocations InjuriesInjuries身体损伤Being injured受伤

have a fall/an injury跌了一跤；受伤
receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/(especially British English) whiplash/a gunshot wound受重伤／轻微骨裂／鞭伤／枪伤
hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg伤到脚踝／背／大腿
damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin损伤大脑／脚踝韧带／肝脏／视神经／皮肤
pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon拉伤腘绳肌腱／韧带／肌肉／肌腱
sprain/twist your ankle/wrist扭伤脚踝／手腕
break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs骨折；锁骨／大腿／三根肋骨骨折
fracture/crack your skull头盖骨破裂
break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth碰断了一颗牙；使牙齿崩缺了一块；磕掉／掉了一颗牙
burst/perforate your eardrum使耳膜破裂；鼓膜穿孔
dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder使手指／臀部／下巴／肩膀脱臼
bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder擦伤／割破／擦破手臂／膝盖／肩膀
burn/scald yourself/your tongue烧伤／烫伤自己／舌头
bang/bump/hit/ (informal) bash your elbow/head/knee (on/against something)（在某物上）撞到肘部／头／膝盖

Treating injuries治疗伤病

treat somebody for burns/a head injury/a stab wound给某人治疗烧伤／头部伤／刺伤
examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound检查／清洗／包扎／用绷带包扎／治疗枪伤
repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage修复损伤的／拉伤的韧带／肌腱／软骨
amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb截去一只胳膊／一根手指／一只脚／一条腿；截肢
put on/ (formal) apply/take off (especially North American English) a Band-Aid™/(British English) a plaster/a bandage贴上／使用／撕掉创可贴；缠上／使用／解掉绷带
need/require/put in/ (especially British English) have (out)/ (North American English) get (out) stitches需要缝针；缝针；拆线
put on/rub on/ (formal) apply cream/ointment/lotion涂抹护肤霜／药膏／护肤液
have/receive/undergo (British English) physiotherapy/(North American English) physical therapy接受物理疗法

Are you sure you can carry all that? Don't strain yourself.你真提得了那么多东西吗？别把自己弄伤了。
Don't strain your eyes by reading in poor light.别在光线不足的地方看书把眼睛给伤了。
You'll strain your back carrying those heavy suitcases.你提着那些沉重的箱子会扭伤后背的。

make effort尽力

[transitive, intransitive] to make an effort to do something, using all your mental or physical strength尽力；竭力；使劲

strain something to do something I strained my ears (= listened very hard) to catch what they were saying.我竖起耳朵去听他们在说些什么。
strain something Necks were strained for a glimpse of the stranger.大家伸长了脖子想看一看这个陌生人。
strain to do something People were straining to see what was going on.人们翘首企足看发生了什么事。
strain (something) (for something) He burst to the surface, straining for air.他冲出水面，使劲吸气。
Bend gently to the left without straining.轻轻向左弯，不要用力。

I strained forward to get a better view.我使劲向前，想看得更清楚些。
Their ears strained for any slight sound.他们都在侧耳倾听任何一点儿细微的声音。
We had to strain to hear what was being said.我们得费很大劲儿才能听清在说什么。
You could see he was straining hard to understand.可以看得出，他正竭力想弄明白。

Collocations Dictionaryadverb

hard
forward

verb + strain

have to

preposition

against
at
for
…

phrases

strain to hear something
strain to see something

stretch to limit使达到极限

[transitive] strain something to try to make something do more than it is able to do过度使用；使不堪承受

The sudden influx of visitors is straining hotels in the town to the limit.游客突然涌入，城里的旅馆全都爆满。
His constant complaints were straining our patience.他没完没了的抱怨让我们忍无可忍。
The dispute has strained relations between the two countries (= made them difficult).这场争端使两国关系紧张起来。
Her latest version of events strained their credulity still further.她对事件的最新描述使他们更加难以相信。

Our public health laboratories are strained to (the) breaking point.我们的公共卫生实验室承受着极大的压力。
The company is already straining under the weight of a $12 billion debt.这家公司已经承受着 120 亿美元的高额债务了。
The dispute severely strained relations between the two countries.这场争端使两国关系极其紧张。

Collocations Dictionaryadverb

seriously
severely

phrases

strain something to breaking point
strain something to the breaking point
strain something to its limits
…

push/pull hard用力推／拉

[intransitive] + adv./prep. to push hard against something; to pull hard on something用力推（或拉）；拉紧

She strained against the ropes that held her.她使劲挣了挣拴着她的绳子。
The dogs were straining at the leash, eager to get to the park.几条狗用力拽着皮带，急于要去公园。

Several men were straining at a rope, trying to move the stalled vehicle.好几个人正在用力拉一根绳子，试图拖动抛了锚的车子。
The dogs were straining against the sled.那些狗在用力拉雪橇。

separate solid from liquid过滤

[transitive] to pour food, etc. through something with very small holes in it, for example a sieve, in order to separate the solid part from the liquid part滤；过滤

strain something Use a colander to strain the vegetables.把蔬菜放在漏筐里控控水。
Strain the juice from the cherries into a small saucepan.将樱桃汁滤入小锅。
strain something off Strain off any excess liquid.滤掉多余的液体。

Topics Cooking and eatingc2

词源verb Middle English (as a verb): from Old French estreindre, from Latin stringere ‘draw tight’. Current senses of the noun arose in the mid 16th cent.

Idioms

strain at the leash

(informal) to want to do something very much急于；迫不及待
- Like all youngsters, he's straining at the leash to leave home.跟所有年轻人一样，他也急于离开家生活。

strain every nerve/sinew (to do something)

to try as hard as you can to do something竭尽全力（做某事）
- He strained every nerve to snatch victory from defeat.他竭尽全力从失败中夺取胜利。